


Anachronisms

by fuckyeahzelink



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, but so is zelda, if i have the patience it will be a slow-burn, i’ll add more character tags as they appear!, i’m gonna treat it like a character study, link is a feral bastard, oh what that’s crazy just ignore that tag, only by a bit tho, theyre just a couple of animals i swear, this is just a self indulgent piece
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27673562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuckyeahzelink/pseuds/fuckyeahzelink
Summary: Anachronismnoun.something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier timeWhen Link opened his eyes to the soft voice calling his name, it felt like coming home.2 years, 8 months, and 25 days later, the same hushed melody that guided his first few steps met his ears in the form of a single hesitant query; each word laden with trepidation and punctuated with an optimism they both know to be misplaced.“Do you… do you really remember me?”
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 63





	1. We Won

**Author's Note:**

> i just want a god damn epilogue nintendo PLEASE let the kids hug

When Link opened his eyes to the soft voice calling his name, it felt like coming home. 

Rich, honey-sweet timbres had beckoned him to rise and meet an unfamiliar world. For two long years, they became his only respite from a life of solitude as he spent every waking moment scouring a desolate kingdom for fragments of a scattered memory. 

2 years, 8 months, and 25 days later, the same hushed melody that guided his first few steps met his ears in the form of a single hesitant query; each word laden with trepidation and punctuated with an optimism they both know to be misplaced. 

_“_ Do you… do you _really_ remember me?” 

The resignation in her voice very nearly had him keeling over from the sudden vice-like grip it had on his chest, squeezing all the air from his lungs. Link managed to maintain some semblance of control and fell into a reverent sort of bow that felt as natural to him as trying to drown on purpose, or stub your own toe; nevertheless, it was familiar all the same. A fluid motion carved into the muscle memory of a body his empty mind had all but stolen from its century of blissful oblivion. 

“I only took this long-,” he uttered, throat constricting, “to make sure I did- but... but it wasn't enough, I don’t have everything I-”

A thin blanket of what felt like acid began gathering over his eyes, blurring his vision and threatening to spill out should he so much as blink. 

He meant to thank her, to congratulate her on a well earned victory- anything to be the subservient knight someone like her deserves.

“I’m so sorry, princess,” was what he somehow choked out instead, as his tongue betrayed him for what was far from the first time; it was no wonder the Link of 100 years ago chose to keep his silence. Guilt clawed at his heart and the need for some kind of acknowledgment clouded his judgement as he continued, “I’m sorry I took so long to come to you, I’m sorry you had to wait for years after waking me, I’m sorry after it all I have so little-“ 

“Hush, Link.” 

Link was nearly positive he never cried before his sleep. He was _definitely_ positive he hasn’t consciously cried since he woke. Not when he fell from the roof of the Temple of Time over and over again as he learned to handle the paraglider, not when lightning racked his whole being. No matter what, he never cried. 

Sure, he had nightmares, but they always slipped his mind as quickly as he could open his eyes to escape them. But this was different. The Hero of Hyrule, the Champion of the goddess herself never fucking _cries-_

Thanks to those two words and the actions of the princess that followed, this treacherous heart of his taught him once again that never was a word whose definition he _really_ needed to reevaluate.

After all the lonely years she spent keeping the _physical incarnation of evil and malice itself_ at bay, she didn’t resent him. She didn’t berate him for his failures, nor did she blame him even a bit. Somehow, it was almost worse. 

He was distantly aware of the fact that she had moved forward, but it was only when a pair of surprisingly weathered hands cupped his face that the reality of everything set in. 

“We _won,_ ” assured the princess with goddess blood. 

“We won _,_ ” echoed her knight softly, hot tears inevitably falling and leaving burning trails down his cheeks in their wake. He searched for something in those green eyes above him- some indication that she held any contempt for the boy who failed to seal the darkness. 

The moment was cut short as her eyes suddenly broke contact with his; they focused on something beyond, and a chill skittered down his spine as Link felt the hand of one of their fallen companions rest on his shoulder. When he turned to follow her gaze, 4 apparitions stood together smiling. 

Never one to be good with words, Link mirrored their expressions and repeated what his charge had told him moments before, flashing them a little thumbs up that was definitely too casual for the occasion. 

“We won,” he told them with more conviction than he felt. 

The phrase earned him a few ghostly chuckles at his expense, but he could hardly find it in himself to be embarrassed by any of their teasing. While the princess had guided him in the aftermath of his awakening, the champions had each given pieces of themselves to him to ensure he was able to keep walking. 

Even with the scarce memories of their time together, Link found that his heart hadn’t forgotten their company. Somehow, by the grace of the goddess, he was lucky enough to meet each of his friends a second time. 

It was only when he felt the presence of their blessings as they pulled away from his body that he realized: this was it. 

Unable to say anything beyond the bare minimum, Link’s smile fell as he muttered, “...this is goodbye, isn’t it.” 

Something in him selfishly hoped he was wrong. The hitch in princess Zelda's breath told him that unfortunately, he wasn’t. 

After everything, this is finally goodbye. 

Urbosa took a step closer and dropped to one knee, wrapping an arm around each of the little hylians in front of her. The familiar chill that should’ve accompanied such direct contact was replaced with a faint warmth, the same as he would feel when he held his palms open over a dying fire. 

_“Take care of each other, little vure,”_ the gerudo chieftess hummed, her voice as warm and gravelly as the desert she hailed from.

The air felt cold in her absence when she stood again, and with one final smile, Urbosa purred, _“we’re so incredibly proud of you. All of us.”_

“Don’t go-“ he heard the princess plead, a century of desperation and grief packed into two simple words. The woman dipped her head regretfully as the sun made its approach known, drowning out their blue-green glow with each new ray that pierced the horizon. 

_“Don’t waste tears on us, your highness,”_ she asserted, somehow sounding both stern and comforting at the same time, _“we’ve long overstayed our welcome with this one,”_ she crossed her arms with a chuckle and nod towards Link. 

Princess Zelda nodded numbly, evidently too tired even to argue with the spirit of her dead surrogate mother. The stars began to dim and the sky tinged with pink, causing the woman to turn and click her tongue at the sight as if she were disappointed in the concept of day itself. She was barely visible by the time she moved further away. 

Clearly reluctant to go, despite all her reassurances, Urbosa turned back to give one final smile before rejoining the rest of her peers. Link felt the needles return behind his eyes as Daruk and Mipha waved their goodbyes, and even Revali dipped his head as the last bit of twilight was chased away by the sun. 

In seconds, they were alone again. Goddess blood and Hero. 

The princess and her knight. 

Zelda and Link. 

Two broken teenagers suddenly left behind in a world populated by those who had forgotten them. 

Link turned back and faced his princess, and though before she looked so ethereal it brought him to his knees, now all he saw in front of him was a girl who had lost everything. Everyone. 

Throwing away his own feelings of self pity and whatever proper conduct that had undoubtedly been drilled into his skull lifetimes ago, he wrapped his arms around her trembling form and tucked the princess of Hyrule away into whatever measly sanctuary his body could provide. 

They stayed like that as the sun rose, shaky sobs making way for gradually more even breaths. By noon, they fell into a steady rhythm in time with his heartbeat. Relief made his limbs weak and head heavy as Link settled his cheek against a sun-warmed mop of messy golden hair. 

Link suddenly found one more memory had slipped its way into his mind and quickly came to the forefront. Too tired to resist, he whispered as quietly as he could. His chest barely tumbled as he let the wind carry away the same words he wanted to tell her a century ago.

They were selfish. Familiar. Improper. Everything he had spent the past two years convincing himself the soldier who shared his face wasn’t. 

_“Happy birthday, Zelda.”_

It was then, 102 years, 8 months, and 26 days later, the princess with the blood of the goddess finally slept.


	2. We Take the Dirt Road Home

Less than a week ago, if someone had asked Link how he would describe the princess of Hyrule, they may have gotten words like: Kind. Headstrong. Dedicated. Beautiful. 

Ok, well, maybe he wouldn’t have said that last one out loud. 

But the point stands. 

While all of those still held true, he wouldn’t have considered _cute_ to be one of the adjectives that pushed itself to the forefront of his mind in regards to the girl who is currently curled up against his torso (an image that served to dispel any lingering doubts that he was correct in his previous assessment.)

It was strange, he realized, how utterly comforting her presence had become in little more than a few hours. It wasn’t the simple company he felt in a stable full of acquaintances, or even friends– it was as if things were always meant to be this way. 

Maybe they were.

Looking back on his years spent alone, the empty feeling that always accompanied him on his often perilous travels— even lingering in his brief moments of respite— faded into oblivion the moment he laid eyes on her. 

The isolation that hung around him like a fog was lifted and, with it gone, he was made painfully aware that he was never seeing things clearly to begin with. 

When he opened his eyes to an unfamiliar world, it felt as though he was incomplete. Like some unknown half of his being was just… missing. It was hollow, at first, like how an amputee he had met described feeling the pain of a phantom limb. 

Eventually, as all things do, the dull ache made itself normal. 

It became its own motivation for him, in a way. He lived with the constant goal of solving a problem he couldn’t even pinpoint the origin of; it wasn’t simply a wound he could tend to, or an infection he could treat. 

Sometimes the pain would spike, and as he began to discover why, Link also learned to dread the aftermath of those memories he was instructed to seek out. 

Somehow, by some grace of the goddess, the princess was the salve to soothe the open lacerations that were ever present on his heart; as cheesy as it sounded (even in his own mind), for the first time since he woke, Link felt truly whole. 

He knew there should be an easy explanation, a way to justify his immediate borderline infatuation with someone who had previously been nothing more than slivers of memories, littered across the land to lie in wait for his discovery. It could be reverence, or simply gratitude– she had, of course, eased him of a pain that had long accompanied this tattered body of his– but somehow it felt like more. 

She wasn’t always kind, but nobody is. The picture painted in his mind of his relationship with the princess was something only made possible by her intentional placement of keys to his past, meaning she had wanted him to have as complete an image as possible, the good and the bad. 

It was admirable, really, because it would have been just as easy to portray herself as a benevolent charge; she could have erased all semblance of flaws, absolving her person of any faults that would then be lost to time. 

She could have, but she didn’t. Somehow, Link found himself more invested in his old role as her knight than if she hadn’t given him a glimpse into those hurdles they’d overcome together. 

Before his thoughts had the opportunity to run wild, the object of his musings shifted slightly against him, exhaling into the exposed fabric from a gap in his leather–clad chest. Oh, there was no rationale to the way his heart began to squeeze almost painfully; goddess blood would only get one so far, and this was beyond any sensible elucidation. 

It would be outlandish to believe this was the same princess who had spent every waking moment despising him, if not for all that she had left him to see how they went from adversaries of sort to having a comfortable kind of companionship. 

In the few memories he had of his time with the princess, he couldn’t recall her being so small. Lean, yes, but physically little? That was new. She fit into the nook created by his body and neck perfectly, which made things a lot easier on Link; she was snuggled in just right as to remain unconscious and not falling face–first off the horse. 

She had nodded off once they started down the road to fort Hateno, which was a lot later than what Link had expected from someone who had spent decades awake and fighting– honestly, he would have preferred if she had allowed herself to sleep sooner. The exhaustion that had begun seeping into her body language as soon as they settled on the saddle together was justified and evident, despite how vehemently the princess disagreed. 

Old habits die hard, and she somehow still believed she needed to put up some sort of facade; it was like an act to appear stronger than she truly felt. He could understand how it would have made sense in a life brimming with political struggles and need for constant etiquette, but that just wasn’t the case anymore. It may have been an attempt to convince herself as much as Link that she was fine, but he knew she wasn’t that ignorant to her own state of being– and neither was he. 

Reckless? sure. Hotheaded? absolutely– but if there was one thing he was sure of about himself (which, to be fair, is a pretty low bar as a whole), it was that he’s a stickler for details. Things that often go unnoticed, even by the person themselves. 

He wasn’t blind to the way his companion had gripped the grass, or his shirt, or anything to ground herself in reality; he didn’t brush past the way she would forget to breathe, or trip over her own feet as if she had forgotten they were there to begin with. 

Whatever happened in that nightmare of a castle had messed her up, and not just emotionally. It was as if she didn’t believe anything to be real, like it was all just an illusion made by the beast she imprisoned herself with for a century. 

Maybe that’s why she wouldn’t sleep. If this was all just a dream, closing her eyes would make it disappear, right? 

Or maybe she just didn’t trust him. That would make sense. 

No matter the reason, Link decided that it would be disrespectful to continue speculating– if the princess ever wanted to share her demons, then he would listen when the time came. Making up stories about what might plague her thoughts would do more harm than good in the long run. 

Princess Zelda jostled again, pulling away slightly so she could crack an eye open and look up at him; she had done it a couple times on the trip so far, so it wasn’t enough to take his attention off of whatever he was zoning out on far off in the horizon. What _was_ a surprise, however, was that instead of going back to sleep after reassuring herself about Link's continued presence, the girl suddenly spoke:

“Link? Aren’t you tired?” 

The sudden noise caused him to jump a bit, a reaction that was embarrassing in it of itself, but more so because it was noticeable enough for her to jolt as well; her eyebrows creased in worry as he kept watching him, “ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” 

He cleared his throat, unsure of what to say. The princess might’ve taken it as some sort of negative acknowledgment, because she quickly sputtered, “I– I also want to thank you, I do hope this isn’t a bother to you– taking me, I mean. You could drop me at the next stable if you’d rather return home or–“ 

“–Hang on, no,” he cut her off, unable to let the girl assume he would just _leave her_ , “You're _not_ a bother.”

His arm around her tightened a bit, as if to prove a point. When she didn’t respond he continued,

“I don’t know what kind of prick I used to be for you to get those ideas, but you’re stuck with me for as long as you’re willing to tolerate it,” he quickly tacked on, “your highness.” 

Her eyes widened a bit, and Link realized much too late that he might’ve pushed it. There wasn’t any chance of taking those things back, and once again he decided that maybe his past asshole of a self had the right idea when it came to keeping the silence he was renowned for. 

The princess opened her mouth, and he braced himself for the worst. 

“You were never a prick,” she breathed, mournful nostalgia lacing her tone; it was almost worse than being outright berated, “you were quiet, and I had thought before it was because you detested me for being such an abhorrent failure– but you’ve always been so sweet. I just…” she paused. “I suppose I just had too little faith in your character after 100 years of slumber.” 

Link frowned. He needed to change that. 

“Is there anything I could do to help you feel I haven’t? Changed, I mean.”

She thought for a moment, shifting a bit so her eyes could wander across more of his face. With a tired smile ghosting across her features, she offered, “I don’t want you to force yourself into a role you don’t wish to fulfill but… if possible, you could start by just calling me Zelda.” 

It caught him off guard, and his chest swelled with some kind of emotion he didn’t have the sense to name; Zelda didn’t look away, and he wondered if this was a habit of hers– scrutinizing every micro expression that might convey some scarce hint of thoughts he wasn’t willing to voice. 

He offered her his own smile in return, because his inability to properly interact with people wasn’t worth the discomfort of someone so genuine. 

“Ok, Zelda,” he tested, acquainting himself with the way her name felt on his tongue. It was strangely familiar, more than referring to her with a title had been… was this how it was? 

“Was this normal?” 

“Pardon?” her brows pinched in the same way they did when she was trying to unlock that sheikah shrine. 

“Just… using your name. No ‘your highnesses’ or whatever,” Link clarified, albeit far less eloquent than the way Zelda spoke. 

She looked away, and it was almost as if she was ashamed when she admitted softly, “um… yes, I suppose it was…” 

Why didn’t she tell him before? 

As if reading his thoughts, the princess took advantage of the silence after her confirmation to add, “I just didn’t– _don’t_ – want to make you think I look at you and him as the same person. I know enough to understand that you’re not, and you shouldn’t have to be.” 

She sighed, and Link didn’t know how to respond. Somehow, within the span of one minute, Zelda had managed to isolate one of his greatest insecurities and put it to rest; maybe her ceaseless examination had some logic behind it, even now with his more liberal use of actual spoken words. It was freeing, but also a bit daunting, how her meadow green eyes cut through his skin to the deepest parts of his boggled mind. Now, more than ever before, he felt seen. 

“do you want to pick up another horse or something? So you’re not stuck riding with me?” he suggested, making an effort to break the silence and ignore how the idea of ceasing this constant physical contact made his skin crawl unpleasantly. He hoped she didn’t take notice of the way his arm stayed fastened to her waist beyond his control, as if in direct contradiction to the offer. 

Instead of answering right away, Zelda opted to press herself back into his body and shake her head softly. It reminded him of when his frequent travel companions–the wolf and the cat– would nap together, with the latter always finding a way to nuzzle herself in deeper than before. 

Something possessed him for a moment, granting the courage needed to surrender momentarily to his whims; leaning forward in what seemed like an effort to fully engulf his new partner, Link settled his chin over the crown of her head and let out a content breath, thankful for the heat of another body against his own as the wind began picking up speed. 

He decided it would be all too easy to get used to this. 

————

The road to Hateno had been unusually quiet, with no sights of stopping. Despite his initial paranoid vigilance, even the tall grass proved to be devoid of the typical pepper-red bokoblins that would lurk among the stalks— the monsters were opportunists by nature, and it wasn’t out of the ordinary for Link to stumble upon an altercation between a lone traveler and one of the pesky beasts.

Presently, there was no indication anyone had traveled down these roads since the previous afternoon; shallow footprints layered over one another, the path consisted of nothing but remnants of travellers long passed. He absently wondered if his own century–old tracks were hidden somewhere along the way. 

The sun had nearly set by the time they made it to where one of his old camps was set up, fireflies accompanied the familiar blue glow of Kam Urog shrine, illuminating the sides of the tent he had pitched several months prior.

It was a little safe haven, sequestered in the shelter of an outcropping in the cliffs a few minutes past the walls of fort Hateno. The old decaying guardians that littered the field had never stopped making him nervous, and Link reflected bitterly on how lucky he was the princess had slept through that leg of the journey. 

Maybe it was the silence or lack of daylight that trapped him in his own mind, but regardless, he began brooding to himself so intensely that had Impa been present, she would’ve long since whacked him over the head and told him to ‘quit acting so juvenile.’ 

Against his own will, he wondered what Zelda thinks of him now? Would he disappoint her? Has he already? _Of course she’d, she’d have every right to be disappointed,_ he chastised himself, _all he’s done since freeing her was fuck up several apologies and cry._

It was selfish to believe she would see him as anything other than a stranger in the scar–marred body of her old companion. She had been kind, yes, but that may have been nothing more than the product of her fatigue— the princess had been more than capable of doling out spiteful admonitions in the past, and a darker part of Link hoped she might resume the habit soon. Provide him with an excuse to push her away before she realized how far gone he truly is from the knight she knew. 

He felt like he was observing the story of a different boy and girl every time a memory found its footing in his empty mind. The princess had been thoughtful enough to leave him with hints, clues on how to proceed; she did everything in her power to give him all the tools he needed to reclaim his past– but it was all for nothing. 

The spiral of self loathing had dragged him so deep, snuffed out all his senses that it was only when the princess was upright and staring directly at him that Link realized she had roused from her near–comatose state. _If she had been an enemy, he’d be long dead. Some hero._ Maybe Hylia made a mistake in resurrecting him. 

“Your highness,” he greeted, looking down at her through his eyelashes in hopes of hiding both his surprise and shame. 

A frown pulled at her otherwise neutral expression, and it made his stomach churn. This was it. She had tolerated him so far, but it was only a matter of time before she realized he was a fraud, an imposter, someone gross and unfamiliar in everything but shape and name– 

“I was asking where we are right now?” 

_Oh. Right. She was asleep._

Feeling incredibly stupid, he sputtered, “oh, um– sorry, I should’ve checked with you but uh– we’re stopping for a bit at a campsite I use sometimes, if that’s alright. It’s a little past fort Hateno.”

The princess– _Zelda,_ he corrected himself– nodded, “so are we stopping here for the night? Or just momentarily?” 

“I’m kinda just making up the plan as I go, so it’s up to you. We could keep going until we make it home, or just crash here for the night,” he shrugged, “whatever sounds better.”

“By home, I am assuming you mean Hateno?” she tilted her head slightly, rubbing the heel of her palm against one eye. 

Nodding, he explains, “Yeah, I’ve got a house there. A dude was already going to tear it down, so when I asked him if I could buy it instead he gave me a discount. I just needed to get him some wood.” 

Zelda was more awake now, interrupting with, “-so a man just granted you a discount on the one condition of being compensated in wood?” 

The princess spoke in way too many big words, he decided, before angling his head to match the tilt of hers, elaborating, “he was a weird guy– well, _is_ a weird guy. He’s still weird.” 

Zelda let out a soft chuckle, the sound prompting him to continue, “his name is Bolson, he’s got a pink scarf and he has a building company or something.” 

He gets a nod in relative understanding. 

“Ok, but, get this,” he snickered, “they’re only allowed to work for him if their names end in ‘son’”

Zelda stares in disbelief, which only makes him laugh harder– he never took the time to internalize how _ridiculous_ the concept was as a whole, let alone as a business model. How was Bolson so confident in the amount of people scattered across Hyrule with names that end in the same way as his own? They made a silent agreement to press on, and he softly spurred Chase into a brisk walk past the campsite. 

“You can’t be serious,” she uttered after a moment, clearly unable to drop the ridiculity of the claim. 

“Oh, but I can,” he replies gleefully, because making fun of Bolson was always a good bonding activity. “The guys I've met so far are Hudson, Karson, and a bunch of others I had to go find so I could build a village.” 

He launches into a brief retelling of the whole Tarry Town venture he was more or less forced into, and how he managed to track down at least one member of each race who was also, conveniently, looking to relocate. 

An incredulous stare turned thoughtful, and Link almost thought he had said something wrong– it wasn’t good for his health to be this paranoid about the opinions of one girl; they don’t even keep him alive. Granted, said girl was basically like his light in an otherwise dark world, so maybe it wasn’t as far from his anxiety driven self–preservation as he’d like to think. 

“Do you think he would allow someone to change their name? Or must it be bestowed upon them, like a divine right, at birth?” she puzzled, once again subverting any and all expectations he had for just _what_ would come out of her mouth. 

“Oh shit…” he muttered, helpless to stave off the revelation that Bolson’s whole company might literally be blessed by the goddess. 

He groaned, instinctively tightening his arms around Zelda’s torso (a mannerism that’s made itself more than familiar in the bit of time they’ve spent together) and buried his face into the top of her head. 

“I can’t believe you put those thoughts into my brain,” he voiced in a muffled complaint. 

She laughed, and the proximity between them meant he felt it shake his whole body. It made him want to hug her forever, press himself as close as he could... but those thoughts were far too greedy. 

“You’re the one who mentioned anything to begin with,” the girl reminded in a teasing tone, “I was perfectly content to live in blissful ignorance to the fact that a contractor may have more of Hylia’s favor than I ever did.” 

_Fuck._

The last sentence hit Link harder than a boko bat–– Zelda was clearly joking, but somehow he had never fully grasped the extent to which the goddess had utterly abandoned her decedent. It made him itch to comfort her, but he found himself grasping at straws, unsure of both how to go about it and if she even wants the reassurance. Failing to generate any useful ideas, he opted instead to slide his head down to rest in the crook of her neck where it met her shoulder, because physical comfort was better than nothing, right? 

From the way she stiffened the moment his skin touched hers, Link quickly decided that may not be the case. He muttered a quick, “sorry,” before moving to pull away and allow the princess a fraction of her personal space back, but to his surprise, the action was met with strong resistance; Zelda quickly lifted her arms from wherever they had been resting to wrap them around his own before he had the chance to release them from around her middle. 

He stared at her imploringly, waiting for an explanation of some kind, or perhaps even scolding– but the girl offered none, continuing to stare straight ahead as she furrowed her brows and pouted, “stay.”

The order caught him off guard, and though he made no effort to move away anymore, he didn’t cease his bewildered gaze. For a moment, meadow green eyes flickered to meet his own, though it was so brief he believed he may have imagined it. What he didn’t imagine, however, was the clear pink dusting her cheeks and ear tips as she glanced back one more time, adding a soft, “good boy.” _Hylia have mercy_ , he begged the goddess, attempting to force his rapid heartbeat to return to normal before the princess felt it thrumming through his breastplate. 

Link found his body moving before his mind could catch up, resuming the prior situation it had never wanted to leave. He briefly recalled being teased as ‘the princess’s dog’ by a few older Zora after he woke, and now he knows why. But he couldn’t find it in himself to disagree. 

Her skin was soft, but coated in what he could only assume to be dirt and sweat and various degrees of burns from the malice (and he was careful to avoid any contact with those areas, lest they still ache) and he briefly considered how ratty he must look to her as well. He had dressed in a jumbled mix of hylian armor and his champions tunic, though the sturdy fabric of the former had taken enough of a beating for the wind to sting his skin in scattered places.

Hooves fell on soft dirt in a steady rhythm and for a long while he said nothing, content to bask in the comfortable silence and feeling of closeness with the princess. The moon sat high in the night sky, flanked by clouds and distant stars. They were close to home, now. 

A wolf howled, echoed by the sound of a guttural roar, and the cacophony caused Zelda to tense immediately. Her back straightened and she instantly began to scan the area, suddenly hyper alert. Link let his thumb rub a placating motion on her torso, operating under the assumption she responds well to touch; she proved his theory by relaxing enough to angle her head back, examining his expression for any indication she should continue to worry– when she was satisfied there was none, he leans in to flash her a crooked smirk. 

“What’s so funny?” she huffs, and Link kicks himself mentally for thinking it’s kind of adorable. 

_No teasing right now. She’s probably actually concerned._

He hums for a moment, distracting himself from his thoughts by scanning the dark fog on the horizon for the familiar duo that had greeted the both of them in the most unsettling way possible. 

“I think a couple of my friends want to meet you,” comes a mellow conclusion, which sends Zelda into a minor fit. 

“Link! I’m a wreck right now, I can’t be seen like this–“ 

“but I’m seeing you-“ 

“-It’s different!” she exclaims, batting his chest with her splayed hand. _Has it always been so small?_ Zelda somehow noticed his thoughts wander immediately, and he braced himself for a scolding.

Just in time to save Link from his impending doom, the wolf and bear cat come careening into the trodden path ahead with enough force to send dust flying. Zelda yelps a bit, which was justified, because seeing two massive predators come out of nowhere would be a shock to anyone. 

“Friends” He announces, gesturing to the beasts. 

Zelda stares at him like he’s gone insane, and he’s inclined to agree. 

“I really wish this surprised me more than it does,” she concedes with a sigh, likely tired enough to surrender herself to whatever fate has in store for her. 

The wolf looks up at him and blinks languidly in greeting, turning to give the princess a similar treatment. The cat moved forward from where she lingered in the background, pressing herself to the wolf's side as he had seen her do countless times before. 

“Fascinating…” he hears Zelda mutter softly. 

Both animals train their stormy blue eyes on the princess, and she notices, clearing her throat and addressing them formally, “My apologizes, I didn’t realize I would be meeting anyone so soon, much less those of your grandeur.” 

Puffing out a barrel–like chest, the wolf chuffs in a satisfaction that transcends languages and species. The cat swats at him with unsheathed claws, and Link is reminded of the way Zelda had done to him something eerily similar only moments prior. 

“I’m taking the princess home, are you guys coming?” He asks the duo. The wolf responds by turning tail and disappearing into the forest, and the cat nods before doing the same. 

He tells Zelda, “they’ll meet us there.” 

When she turns to face him, her eyes are still glittering with a scientific fascination he’s only ever seen in old memories. 

“How in Hylia’s name did you tame a wolf and a cougar?” 

“Oh, that’s what the bear cat is called?” he asks instead of answering her question, because he really doesn’t know. 

An eager nod. 

“The puma is a member of the _Felidae_ family, and is often found in the mountains of the great plateau, also called puma or mountain lion, they are solitary carnivores that could take out a hylian wish little more than a well–placed bite,” she recites expertly, pausing for a breath before concluding, “it’s a wonder that one is so amicable with the wolf, they often compete for prey and as far as I’m aware there have been no documented cases of two coexisting, much less forming such a bond–“ 

She gasps, looking as though she’s having some sort of epiphany, and reaches for her waist only to slip a hand into empty space. 

“Shit, fucking stupid dress,” she hisses, but clasps a hand over her mouth immediately after. 

It’s Links turn to stare, as she looks at him with wide eyes as though she’s a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. 

“I am so sorr–“ 

The apology is cut off by Link losing control of his composure, barking out a laugh at the princess with the mouth of a sailor. She turns red, getting worse by the second, but he can’t stop himself, eventually hugging his stomach as she covers her face and lets out a strangled groan. 

“D– don’t _ever_ apologize for that,” he wheezes, “goddess, and here I thought I couldn’t like you more than I already did.” 

He hears a sharp intake of breath, and Zelda peeks through her fingers to tell him, “You don’t mean that.” 

He shakes his head, “no, I’m pretty certain that I do.” 

Met with silence, Link worries he did something wrong again. Before he can ask, Zelda shifts her weight to settle in a position leaving her sideways on the saddle and buried against his chest even more than she already was. She pulls his cloak around from where it rested against his back, wrapping it over herself and telling him, “don’t let me fall or I’ll swear at you more.” 

He snorts, telling her, “Viscous threat, princess.”

“shut up, knight.” 

A hum. She circles her banded arms around his midsection. 

“I’ll wake you when we get there, ok?” 

She stifles a yawn, acknowledging his last statement with a squeeze of his torso. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i died school woke up and chose violence. i had a better draft but microsoft word ate it up so i might go back in and edit this later when i have time


End file.
